After her nomination by Donald Trump, Susie Wiles will become the first female chief of staff in US history, a position of great influence that acts as a gatekeeper and gateway to the president.
The chief of staff position is typically the first appointment of presidents-elect, and his or her responsibilities may include the transition of power between the outgoing and incoming governments. Once Trump is sworn in, Wiles will also be in charge of internal White House policy, managing day-to-day operations and serving as an advisor and confidant to the president.
At 67, Wiles is a veteran of Florida politics. He began his career in the 1970s working for New York Congressman Jack Kemp in his Washington office. She later worked with Ronald Reagan, on the campaign trail and as a White House coordinator when the Republican won the presidency.
Wiles then moved to Florida, where he advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. He then worked on state-level campaigns in aggressive Florida politics. He is credited with helping bring businessman Rick Scott into Florida government.
After briefly managing Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign during the 2012 primary; Wiles then led Trump’s campaign in the 2016 Florida primary, a victory that helped the mogul win the White House.
Two years later, Wiles helped elect Ron DeSantis as governor of Florida. But she and DeSantis began to drift apart, and in 2020 the governor asked Trump’s campaign team to cut ties with Wiles, who had returned to run the then-president’s campaign in Florida.
Wiles ended up leading Trump’s campaign in the primary against DeSantis, in which the real estate mogul defeated the Florida governor. Trump campaign aides and other allies who were not on his team spent the campaign gleefully mocking DeSantis. People made fun of his laugh and his way of eating. They said he lifted boots and used inside information that, according to shared suspicions, came from Wiles and other members of the Trump team who had bad experiences working with DeSantis.
Wiles joined Trump’s team during his third campaign, serving as “chief of staff.” de facto» during the last three years of his successful re-election; and helping him work with attorneys on the various criminal and civil cases brought against him.
“Susie Wiles just helped me deliver one of the greatest political victories in American history and played an integral role in my successful campaigns in 2016 and 2020,” Trump said in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and everyone admires and respects her.”
Trump mentioned it again during his victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida. “Susie likes to stay more or less in the rearguard, let me tell you; the ice lady, we call her the ice lady,” he said.
A “force more perceived than seen,” they wrote of Wiles in Politico, where they credited him with making the former president’s last campaign “more professional than his unruly and spontaneous track record.”
Trump’s allies and detractors alike credit him with introducing the discipline and focus necessary for Trump’s political triumph. Wiles, who considers himself a moderate, maintains good relations with journalists and is familiar with all aspects of running a campaign.
There are also those who define her as a person who contributes to Trump’s dictatorial ambition. “Susie Wiles is too intelligent a human being and too sophisticated a political operator not to understand that,” Fernand Amandi, a Miami Democratic Party pollster and MSNBC analyst, told Politico.
Wiles managed to keep Trump’s worst impulses in check. Instead of scolding or lecturing him, you do this by earning his respect and showing him that you are more successful when you follow his advice than when you ignore it. In Pennsylvania, when Trump gave a much-criticized speech in which he went off-topic to imply that he wouldn’t mind being shot at the media, Wiles watched silently.
Trump mentioned Wiles often during the campaign, publicly praising her for her leadership in what was his “best-run campaign,” many told him. “She’s incredible, incredible,” he said in early November at a rally in Milwaukee.
During his first term, Trump had several chiefs of staff: Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee; John Kelly, retired Marine general; Mick Mulvaney, former South Carolina congressman; and Mark Meadows, former North Carolina representative.
The president often disagreed with or tired of the chiefs of staff he appointed. Weeks before the election, retired Gen. Kelly said Trump fit “the general definition of a fascist.”
